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PET Scan
Positron Emission Tomography (PET) is a medical imaging technology that is used to diagnose cancer and evaluate the extent of it’s spread. It is also used to assess whether or not cancer treatment has been effective, or whether cancer surgery is likely to help. Central Virginia Imaging (CVI) introduced PET scans to Central Virginia in the autumn of 2002 and performed hundreds of exams in Lynchburg since.
What is a PET Scan?
A PET (positron emission tomography) scan is a medical imaging exam in which a small amount of a radioactive sugar (tracer drug) is injected into a vein and a picture is made of where the sugar goes inside the body. It is usually used to evaluate cancer or possible cancer. Cancer uses more sugar than many other body organs so it shows up on the PET scan as a “hot spot.” After the imaging procedure, a doctor who specializes in Nuclear Medicine evaluates the scan and reports the findings and interpretation to your physician.
How does the Procedure Work ?
- You will be asked not to eat for 8 hours prior to the study. This helps make the best images for the study.
- You will have an intravenous (IV) injection of a tracer drug prior to the scan.
- You will be asked to lie down quietly for about 30 minutes after the injection. It is very important to stay as still as possible during this time.
- During the scan, you will lie down on a bed that moves through the machine that makes the images. This is like a CT or MRI. The scan takes about 20 to 30 minutes.
- Afterward, you are free to go about your normal activities.
What is a PET scan for?
- To evaluate a lung nodule - PET scans are very useful in separating nodules that are cancer, from nodules that are due to other non cancer causes.
- To evaluate the spread of cancer - PET scans assess most of the body and can detect the extent of cancer, especially when coupled with a CT or MRI.
- To help determine the best treatment plan for cancer - PET scans are very useful in determining what treatment may be best, for example, whether or not surgery is appropriate.
- To evaluate the effects of treatment/therapy - PET scans are very helpful in evaluating how well certain treatments are working.
What else is a PET scan used for?
- Heart studies - PET scans are used to assess blood flow to heart muscle and to distinguish functioning heart muscle from nonfunctioning muscle.
- Brain studies - PET scans are used to diagnose certain brain tumors and dementia disorders such as Alzheimer’s. It is also used in the assessment of movement disorders and in the planning of surgery for certain seizure disorders.
- Both cardiac and neurological PET studies use different tracers than the sugar used for most cancer studies and currently CVI does not do these exams.
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